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Developing an Initial Friendly Relationship – Beginning Ground

Developing a friendly relationship from the outset requires that practitioners foster comfortable interactions with families, characterized by ease and openness. The development of a friendly relationship occurs as practitioners demonstrate practices aligned with enhanced communication, high expectations, respect, commitment, equality, and advocacy.

Watch Video 4.4 of Clara, a practitioner, making an initial home visit with a mother. Then, discuss her initial interactions with families and reflect on her practices to start the relationship off on a positive note.

Next, watch the Video 4.5 of Libby, a teacher, and Kim, a parent to Ella, to observe and reflect on examples of practices related to developing an initial friendly relationship (beginning ground).

Clara, a practitioner, makes an initial home visit with a mother and describes how to begin a family-professional partnership, especially working with families from different cultural backgrounds. (running time: 2 min. 37 sec.)

Clara:

Hello Ms. Gonzales. Thank you for letting me come. You have a beautiful house!

Ms. Gonzales:

I have a lot of things around, but I like decoration.

Clara:

I can see the care you put into what you do—it’s lovely.

Clara:

The first visit is one of the most important pieces of this process, because that is when we're gonna engage the parent and they're gonna embark with us. And if we don’t take that time we can jeopardize the process. It’s you know, very intimidating to let somebody that they don’t know come into their own home. So, I always look around and if I see a family picture “Wow”, you know whammy for me, because then I can move into it and say “Oh, what a beautiful portrait . Who is in this picture?” And there is not one parent that will not melt to talk about their family, if that is what we are talking about. So, as they start describing who is in the picture you know, I am already collecting information. Each family is very unique and the information that I am going to gather from them also will be different from one family to another one. I have had meetings or home visits, where we cry. I think that it's because the connection of the language. They just feel like we can share that kind of thing. That I will understand and will have empathy.

How do you feel when your daughter says that?

Ms. Gonzales:

Oh it tears my soul! It’s horrible. I feel really bad. But I tell you if can help my daughter to help her speak more, or read books, or play games-- let’s do it.

Clara:

They parents are embark. The parents are leading. The parents are giving me the information and I know from that moment on the next steps will be right there.

Libby, a teacher in a child care center, and Kim, a parent of a 4-year-old girl (Ella), have a conversation about working together and learning from one another. This conversation highlights developing an initial friendly relationship (running time: 2 min., 35 sec.).

Libby:
Well Kim, I think now that you’ve sent … you’ve learned everything about this school…that you wanted to know about that I’d like to offer for you to tell me a little about your child.

Kim:
OK, um well Ella, she’s 4 years old, she’s coming from another program where she’s been in for a year or so, so she’s kind of used to the preschool environment. She’s a middle child, she’s wonderful and loves artwork and has really good friendships.

Libby:
So she’s been in a program before. So can you tell me a little bit about what she’s like when you say goodbye to her and leave her, especially in the beginning, when she started that experience?

Kim:
Yeah. You know just having an older sister I think she was kind of used to going off and being able to run and romp with these other children.

Libby:
What seemed to be her favorite activities in the school where she’s at now—she talks about the most.

Kim:
Snack is always a big activity. She seems to love snack. And art; she loves painting and drawing and she could spend the whole day, it seems, doing that.

Libby:
Do you live in a neighborhood with children?

Kim:
We do and we live right near a park, about a block from a park.

Libby:
Oh, wonderful! So she went from being the baby in the family herself to now having a new little one.

Kim:
Yes. Yes, she does have a new baby herself. Yeah, well so far she’s doing well. There are some adjustments but she’s…

Libby:
That’s an adjustment, it is. I have to tell you it’s so important… the information that you shared with me today. I hope this is just the beginning of the way our relationship will continue to build as we move through this experience together because the more you share with us and I hope you will always feel comfortable to do that, then the more informed we can be and the better job we’ll do for Ella.

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